Call it the anti-trap game.
Week 3’s college football calendar is full of potential “trap” games, or contests in which an overconfident favorite may not see the underdog coming until it’s too late.
For instance, the California Golden Bears are coming off a terrific upset win over Washington in which the defense was lights-out in the 2nd half. But 2018 taught us just how inconsistent the Bears can be in this era. A relaxed and breezy Pac-12 team at home is the perfect “trap” scenario in which the visiting UNT Mean Green could score a surprise long-shot win on the moneyline with the right amount of breaks on Saturday afternoon. It’s not every game North Texas is as bad defending the Red Zone as the C-USA squad was against SMU last weekend. And so we have ourselves a potential trap-winner at 5-to-1 odds.
But California has won 2 games and lost none – the Bears could conceivably be feeling overconfident against a mid-major.
Washington, on the other hand, is the Pac-12 favorite that just bowed to the Golden Bears. You know that Hawaii coaches hated to see UW fall in Week 2, since the Rainbow Warriors’ road trip to the Pacific Northwest is now anything but a “trap” scenario for the home team. Chris Petersen’s gang is going to treat the MWC representatives like a conference opponent…with the Mountain West’s early triumphs over the Power-5 serving as more locker-room motivation. The only questions are whether last weekend’s loss was indicative of much deeper problems in Husky-land than simply a bad Saturday, and whether Hawaii is good enough to compete if the Huskies bring their A-game.
Sin City speculators aren’t giving the Rainbows much of a chance.
Who: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Washington Huskies
When: Saturday, September 14th, 7:30 PM EST
Where: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
Lines: Hawaii (+21.5) at Washington (-21.5) / O/U Total: (59)
Certainly the autopsy on Washington’s disappointing Week 2 loss has to begin and end with Jacob Eason, who came close to doing more harm than good at QB:
Eason didn’t always get the job done. His accuracy was just average, and his interception came on an ill-advised throw intended for Hunter Bryant. His longest completion of the night went for 25 yards, compared to a long of 50 in week one.
If we’re being fair though, not everything about his performance can be hung on Eason. He still completed 60% of his passes while not getting much help from his receivers. The Dawgs’ pass catchers had a case of the drops, including a notable late-game lapse from senior Aaron Fuller.
This may sound crazy, but could the drops have something to do with the difference in throw velocity between Eason and former Husky Jake Browning? The latter was much maligned by fans for his perceived lack of arm strength, while Eason apparently has a howitzer attached to his shoulder. It doesn’t seem far-fetched to think that the receivers might be struggling to adjust to balls being thrown ahead of them, rather than behind. Even with all that being said, the fact is that Eason didn’t look very good last Saturday night. Not terrible, to be sure – just very, very average. The trouble is, the hype train that’s followed the transfer from Georgia since his arrival expects him to be great.
Eason finished the contest vs California with 0 TDs, an interception, and well under 200 yards passing. Protection wasn’t always outstanding, and Cal pressured and harassed the pocket on many of his worst throws. Shaky offensive line play puts Petersen in the same conundrum Tom Landry faced late in his career with the Dallas Cowboys – anxious to use trademark motion and “multiple” offense but trying to keep things simple for turnstile blockers.
Meanwhile, perhaps the off days Hawaii has enjoyed has caused gamblers to forget the Rainbow Warriors’ heroics in Week Zero, when the Mountain West school beat Khalil Tate and Arizona. Hawaii did not play in Week 1 but later ran its record to 2-0 against the Pac-12 with a 31-28 victory over Oregon State.
This will be the first road test for Hawaii’s pedestrian defense, and I’m not expecting the UW Huskies to be outscored. I am, however, expecting that the visitors will find a few ways to keep up.
Unlike a lot of teams that tinker around with 2 quarterbacks, Hawaii is the real deal 1-2 punch with veteran Cole McDonald and swift young wild-card Chevan Cordeiro, who starred in a “George Blanda” role as the savior against the Wildcats in August.
Baseball tactics in football? A starter and a closer? I’ve heard worse ideas. Especially since McDonald can “pitch” a few “complete games” along the way.
Hawaii will score enough points to cover, likely with a bundle to spare. Take the Warriors and (21.5) points.